French Raclette
A toaster oven's dream. Raclette takes its name from the French verb ''racler'', meaning ''to scrape.'' Traditionally, Alpine cheesemakers would lunch upon boiled potatoes and cornichons, covered with melted cheese that they scraped from a nearby fire-heated boulder. Semi-soft and washed with brine. We finish it to deep, fruity pungency and salty perfection. Stay true to the name, and melt atop all manner of winter root vegetables.
Just the Facts
Cider
Brie and apples, cheddar and apples – both delicious! Why not extend that deliciousness to apples in liquid form? Enjoy cider and cheese for a pairing to remember.English style: drier, more like a beer, with nice acidity.
Pair with: Just about anything but we love it with firm natural rind cheese, like Landaff.Basque/Normandy : barnyardy and funky, but still with a little sweetness.
Pair with: A beefy washed rind, like Grayson to contrast the sugar and bring out the funk.American Cider: often, but not always on the sweeter side.
Pair with: Sweet and earthy Bleu Mont Bandaged Cheddar or malty Bleu d’Auvergne.Lagers and Kolsch
Lager, Dunkel, Schwarz, Pilsner, Kolsch AleLagers run the gamut from crisp, pale Pilsners to dark-malted Dunkels and Märzens. Flavors are typically approachable and mellow, a delicate balance of toasted bread, gentle sweetness, and mild hop bitterness for structure.
Pair with: Almost any firm, mild cheese like Tomme de Savoie or Landaff Creamery Landaff.Merlot
A smooth and medium-bodied wine with a more rounded flavor than other reds. Dark fruits are present but with minimal tannins and no noticeable spice.Pair with: Earthy tommes like Toma Walser, mellow Fontina, or a lightly aged goat cheese like Leonora.
Riesling
This food-friendly wine ranges from super sweet to quite dry. Acidity, minerality, and aromas of tropical fruit are almost always present.Dry: Characterized by bracing acidity and stark minerality. Tropical fruit on the nose, stunningly balanced flavor overall.
Pair with: This versatile wine works equally well with a fresh chevre (bringing out acidity) as it does a stinker like Willoughby (playing up the sweet/salty contrast).Sweet: The other end of the spectrum offers a cloyingly sweet, syrupy wine. Aromas of ripe peaches and tropical fruit dominate, along with floral, perfumed accents.
Pair with: With something this strong it’s best to contrast the sweetness with something funky or salty: A pungent washed rind like Grayson or a punchy blue like Bleu du Bocage.
Featured Content...
Raclette Party Time
There’s nothing quite like a warm blanket in cold weather. We’re not talking about wool or fleece or polyester, though—we’re talking, as we so often are, about cheese. Specifically, we are talking about raclette. Raclette is a cheese from the western Alps, where the mountains move from Switzerland to France. In the taxonomy of cheese, …
How to Throw A Raclette Party
Raclette comes from the French word Raclerâ, which means “to scrape.” It is a cheese traditionally eaten in Switzerland. The Swiss cow herders used to take the cheese with them when they were moving cows to or from the pastures up in the mountains. In the evenings around the campfire, they would place the cheese …